Posts Tagged ‘Technology’

In health care, personal smartphone use at work is a complicated issue with legal implications.

The plaintiff attorney drummed his fingers on the table while he stared at nurse Stephanie Holland* for what seemed like an eternity. He was waiting for her to respond to a seemingly simple question during her deposition—“Do you ever use your personal phone at work?”

The tragedy in Haiti has claimed countless lives and effected even more. The effects of this disaster spans the globe and our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti and those involved in the earthquake as well as the rescue efforts. The needs for wound care in this situation are evident. I’ve been thinking about this situation throughout the turn of events in terms of how wound care is being delivered on the scene. I came across an interesting story of wound care and technology while reading about the rescue efforts.

This lead me to think about how we are using technology in our day to day practices of wound care. Aside from your wound care knowledge and skills, do you use technology in your clinics, hospitals, and home care? What devices do you use from day to day that have become so essential that its considered second nature to use? For your convenience I have inserted the full story below.

U.S. filmmaker Dan Woolley was shooting a video about poverty in Haiti when the earthquake struck. He could have died, but he ultimately survived with the help of an iPhone first-aid app that taught him to treat his wounds.

After being crushed by a pile of rubble, Woolley used his digital SLR to illuminate his surroundings and snap photos of the wreckage in search of a safe place to dwell. He took refuge in an elevator shaft, where he followed instructions from an iPhone first-aid app to fashion a bandage and tourniquet for his leg and to stop the bleeding from his head wound, according to an MSNBC story.

The app even warned Woolley not to fall asleep if he felt he was going into shock, so he set his cellphone’s alarm clock to go off every 20 minutes. Sixty-five hours later, a French rescue team saved him.

“I just saw the walls rippling and just explosive sounds all around me,” said Woolley, recounting the earthquake to MSNBC. “It all happened incredibly fast. David yelled out, ‘It’s an earthquake,’ and we both lunged and everything turned dark.”

Woolley’s incident highlights a large social implication of the iPhone and other similar smartphones. A constant internet connection, coupled with a device supporting a wealth of apps, can potentially transform a person into an all-knowing, always-on being. In Woolley’s case, an iPhone app turned him into an amateur medic to help him survive natural disaster.

Advances in technology are contributing to delivery of care in remote locations. Technology gives the ability for experienced clinicians to treat patients remotely and communicate with wound care certified professionals. Until recently, immobile patients and those with chronic wounds relied heavily upon transport services or family for access to on-going treatments, which often accounted for delayed diagnosis, prolonged hospital visits, and unnecessarily high treatment costs. Now, clinicians can be equipped with smart mobile devices with digital photography, video capability and other medical devices provides immobile patients access to expert specialists for real-time diagnosis and treatment.

Is this the future of medicine and wound care? Can technology help cut costs if used in this manner or is it more of a concierge service? Recently there was a Press Release about the Wound Technology Network Teaming up with AT&T to Facilitate Treatment of Chronically Wounded Patients in Their Homes.

Having access to Wound Care Certified professionals in real time would have its advantages. George Pollack, Chief Technology Officer at Wound Technology Network states “Not only are our specialists able to deliver on-site quality care in real-time, they are able to aid in significantly minimizing the healing time of patients and the overall cost of their treatment.” The saying ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ could lend validity to that statement. Video and real time collaboration could really make a difference in the patients who can’t access ongoing care at traditional point of service locations like outpatient clinics, offices or hospitals.

As technology advances, so do the challenges for those that have not embraced those capabilities. Many of us already use computers and digital cameras or video cameras. Utilizing them as extensions to our medical or wound care practices should be as natural as having an inservice on a new IV pole or wound care dressing. Some of the technology is user friendly and some may take some time to become familiar until they become extensions of our care delivery. We all had to learn to use a stethoscope, EKG machine or Negative Pressure Wound Therapy device early in our careers. Now is the time to embrace using EMRs, Computers, cameras and other devices that help communicate between health care professionals.

Video Conferencing services like Skype.com or Oovoo.com are making communication between people very attractive. Health care workers that treat patients remotely could take advantage of services like these to communicate remotely with patients who have hardships traveling to see their doctors.

So, how are you using technology in your practices? The Wound Care Education Institute would like to know your thoughts on how technology, social media and other services will be utilized or are already being used. Please leave your comments.